Of Motorcycles and Moonshine
by stephanierx
Summary: AU! Beth Greene is dragged to a bar by her best friend on her 21st birthday. Little does she know that on that night she will meet somebody who will soon become a part of her life and capture her heart. A Bethyl fanfiction, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing except the storyline!**

**This is my first Bethyl fanfiction and I'm soooo excited to write this. I wanted this to be AU because they tend to be my favourite stories to read, plus I don't really want to compete after the 'alone' episode. Really hope you enjoy it- you can follow me on tumblr for updates, the occasional picture reference for this fanfic and bethyl ramblings: welovebethyl is my username**

The summer sunlight slid through the gap in the curtains and pleasantly rested on Beth's pale cheek. She hadn't a clue of the time, but her phone had been vibrating constantly for what seemed like hours. The covers lay loose over her torso and the pillow moulded perfectly into her head; with the warmth of the sunshine and the comfort of the covers she could have stayed there happily all day. Her phone began to vibrate again, and with a defeated groan Beth pulled herself up and reached over to the bedside table.

"Wakey wakey birthday girl!" A cheery voice on the other end shouted.

Oh, it was her birthday. Beth sighed but then smiled; Ashley had been more excited for her 21st birthday than anybody, including Beth herself. Every day for the past month Ashley had been repeating her plans and ideas over and over to the point where they were now concrete in Beth's mind.

"Hey Ashley, so I'm guessing you'll be here by 10?" Beth asked, already knowing the answer. Usually her birthdays would consist of a family outing and then a meal in the evening, but Ashley had pestered Beth's father until he agreed to let the tradition slide somewhat. The usual birthday breakfast would be replaced by a shopping trip where Ashley would drag her around some shops and treat her to a birthday outfit. Then they would go back to the Greene's farm and spend the day getting ready. The big birthday meal would be replaced by a few quick pizzas, and then 7pm Ashley would take Beth on her first 'night out'. Herschel had been a little upset that he wouldn't be spending much time with Beth on her birthday, but after a few ideas here and there they compromised and agreed to spend the day after together as a family.

She skipped down the stairs and smiled as everyone kissed and hugged her happy birthday. They had agreed to do presents the day after when more time could be put into it. Just as Ashley pulled up outside Beth was hoisted into a bear hug from behind, and she giggled knowing full well that it was her brother, Shawn.

"Hey get off of me!" She fought him playfully, kissing him on the cheek when he finally let her go.

"Not a baby any more Bethy, let me know if you want me to come with tonight." He suggested innocently, though Beth knew that he really wanted to go in case anything happened. Beth knew herself though, and knew that she was responsible enough to care for herself, no matter what state Ashley managed to get herself into. She rolled her eyes at her brother before rushing out of the door to greet an impatiently waiting Ashley.

They girl talked and giggled all the way up to the mall. Beth and Ashley had been friends since they were little girls and although Beth had stayed her straight A, innocent self, Ashley had changed completely. Her friend's hair rested on her shoulders, a little longer than Maggie's, and her eyes were a bright shade of blue. She enjoyed her men and her parties, though was always considerate of Beth's alternate lifestyle of reading and family.

"So where are you taking me tonight?" Beth asked her friend, somewhat scared of the answer. Ashley sensed the girl's fear and giggled.

"Don't you worry Bethy, it's just a bar that my brother takes me to sometimes." Beth nodded and they continued to chatter, discussing potential outfits and upcoming adventures. They spent a few hours in the mall, and Beth found a gorgeous, strapless floral dress that fitted her like a glove. It was a little more revealing than her normal sweater and jeans combination, but it made her feel very much like a classy woman and Ashley agreed that it was perfect.

They spent the rest of the day getting ready. Ashely placed loose girls into Beth's hair and tied her own into a high, messy ponytail. After what seemed like forever, Beth finally got a look at herself in the mirror and stared at herself in shock.

"I did good, huh?!" Ashley laughed behind her, wrapping her hands around her friend's shoulders.

"We're gonna have so much fun Bethy, come on!"

After an hour of pizza and chatting with her family they made their way to the bar. It was around a 15 minute walk and they had agreed not to drive since they would both probably be having a drink or two. Shawn had agreed to pick them up if they needed but as long as it wasn't too late, which was fine by Beth since she didn't plan on staying out past 1 anyway. Beth wasn't too steady in her heels but linked with Ashley so they could support each other. Ashley looked great, as per usual, and Beth couldn't help that think despite her thigh length strapless dress and full face of makeup that Ashley looked much better than her.

"Here we are." Ashley suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a cabin ahead of them. It had 'Porter's' on a large tacky sign and there was an array of banged up cars and motorcycles parked out front. Beth turned to Ashley and furrowed her eyebrows. She had somewhat expected class and cocktails, but instead was greeted with…well this.

"Oh come on, it's good I promise." Ashely grabbed Beth's hand and they walked inside.

It was…frightening. There was smoke everywhere and there was probably ten males to every female. Dust and dirt nestled on the doorframe and the chairs and tables looked like they were decades old. As soon as they walked in around 50 pairs of eyes gravitated towards them, eyeing the girls up and down. Ashley giggled and flirtatiously pulled Beth through the crowds to the bar, getting them both a vodka and coke. They both perched on a bar stool, and Beth suddenly realised why Ashley liked this place. It had been five minutes and already Ashley had found conversation with two men sat beside them. Beth just ignored them all, very tempted to slip out and call Shawn to come get her.

Then she got that feeling. The feeling of being watched. She turned to her left and noticed a guy leaning against the wall, looking to be very much in the same predicament as herself. He watched her intently, and Beth watched back. The man who was with the guy watching her was chatting away to a busy blonde, grabbing her ass and showing a dirty, toothy grin. Yes, he was most definitely in the same predicament. Beth watched him as he ran his hands through his hair and downed the rest of his beer. Before she knew it he was walking over, and Beth felt as if her heart had stopped with nerves.

"You third wheelin as well?" He asked quietly, in somewhat of a slur. Beth simply smiled plainly and nodded.

"You wanna leave them to it? Come back to my place?"

Beth nearly spat out her drink. She looked him in the eyes. He had very, very handsome eyes. Nevertheless his request was ridiculous and insulting; did she look like the kind of girl who went home with someone without so much as a date or conversation?

"No thank you." Beth replied. He nodded, looking somewhat humiliated, and pondered back over to his seat where he continued to watch her, curiosity and beer brewing in his eyes.

That wouldn't be the last time Beth Greene spoke to Daryl Dixon that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your kind responses! I understand that I may be going a little OOC at parts, but with it being AU I feel that most of it can be justified. I'm gonna update when I can, but I've got lots of ideas spinning around at the moment. Let me know if there's anything you think I can improve or any suggestions also (just not mean haha). I'm on tumblr too: welovebethyl. Thanks guys! Oh and as per, I own nothing except the storyline. Rated M for language and future smut. **

Daryl had spent a good hour or so trying to distract himself from his brother's escapades, and he had found the perfect yet somewhat perplexing distraction. The girl looked young, and he had noticed that the girl she was with had brushed her off just as Merle had done to him. She did not look like the rest of the girls in the bar, not one bit. All of the other girls seemed to want to leave nothing to the imagination; their tits overflowing their tight tank tops or dresses and legs very much on show. They often sported some ridiculous shade of lipstick and their skin tanned with some cheap, ugly product.

So naturally, Daryl was curious. He had left Merle and approached the girl. Every weekend was usually the same; he would find someone who wasn't already taken, approach them drunkenly and within five minutes they would be leaving for his apartment. The alternative was hanging around Merle all night and then probably getting into some kind of trouble because of him. He never liked the girls. They were usually drunk or high and sometimes he just walked them home or let them collapse on his couch. If he was drunk enough, he would sleep with them. The thought of letting some random girl see the body he was utterly ashamed of made his stomach turn when sober, but when drunk he could put his insecurities to the back of his mind for a quickie. After an hour or so he would then head back to the bar, by which point Merle was usually leaving and Daryl knew he'd survived another night.

But for the first time in a while, a girl had turned him down in this bar. She looked shocked, insulted. He never wanted to hurt any of the girls, he just figured all they wanted was a quick fuck and nothing more. Usually they were happy with just that, but this girl looked disgusted at the thought. He returned to his seat and continued to observe her. She was…well she was lovely. That certainly wasn't a word that crossed his mind an awful lot. Although her dress did show a little skin, it was classy, sexy and pleasing to the eye all in one. Her hair was fair and her face even fairer. Hell, she was pretty damn beautiful. Daryl snapped out of it, realising that in his drunken state he might appear to be a little intimidating. Instead he pulled himself off of his seat and walked outside.

Leaning on his brother's motorcycle, Daryl took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He inhaled and felt the cool air against his skin, sobering him somewhat. He was done for tonight, but knew that if he left Merle in there and didn't come back there might be trouble, and he was doing his best to keep his brother as far away from trouble as he could. So instead he sat patiently, gathering his sobriety by each second and wishing that his brother would exit the bar sooner rather than later. He would probably have a girl on his arm, or two, but at least then Daryl could make sure he was going home and not involved in a big bar fight that may turn nasty.

The door opened and Daryl looked up, hoping for it to be Merle. Instead the blonde girl walked out. She looked at Daryl, and he could tell by her eyes that she was considering going back inside. After a few seconds though, she began to walk closer until he realised she was coming to speak to him.

"So that guy you're with…well, him and my friend seem to be getting along." She said awkwardly, crossing her arms in front of her obviously feeling the chill.

"That's Merle, tends to get along with a lot of girls." Daryl replied holding her gaze. "He look like he's leaving any time soon?"

Before Beth had chance to answer the door flung open again, this time a drunken Merle stumbled out with an even drunker Ashley on his arm.

"C'mon girly we're wasting precious time" he chirped loudly, throwing a dirty wink at Daryl. Beth looked at her friend, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to stop her. Although Beth had never been to a bar, she had been in a couple of situations where Ashley had been drunk and there wasn't a chance in hell she'd be able to get her friend to come home with her.

"You have fun with Blondie there Darlina, Ash and I are gonna go to my place and have some fun, aint we princess?" Ashley giggled into Merle's shoulder and began kissing his neck. Within a matter of seconds they were stumbling off, half walking, half running.

"How you getting home?" Daryl asked the blonde girl.

"I'm walking" Beth replied, which was true. It was just gone 2am and she knew it was too late to call Shawn.

"You're not walking alone." Daryl told her. God she was the perfect bait for all these drunken guys walking around, he wasn't going to let her walk home alone, not in a million years.

"It's not far. 15 minutes tops."

Daryl sighed, knowing that he was going to have to fight a little bit harder. He didn't blame her for not trusting him, not after the act he pulled before. He looked the girl over and brought his thumb to his lips, chewing as he pondered his next move. This girl wasn't going to be walking home alone.

"You don't trust me. I get it." Daryl began, but she didn't stir. "My name's Daryl Dixon, that there was my brother. I'm sorry about the way I approached you earlier, just my usual get out, that's all. He's a handful." He wasn't good with words. He didn't like talking and found he was far better at listening. He watched as the girl moved her hands up to her shoulders and just looked at the ground. She was cold, and nervous.

Daryl ran over to his truck which was parked a few metres away and pulled his old leather jacket out of the back seat. He walked back over and hesitated slightly before moving behind her and holding the jacket open.

"Arms in" he told her softly, making a conscious effort not to frighten her. There was an awkward few seconds where he just stood there, but after a while she slowly put her arms into the jacket. She looked confused as he made his way to stand in front of her, now a little closer than before.

"What's your name?" he asked, now barely a metre away from her.

"Beth" She replied "and thank you" she added, wrapping herself in his jacket. Daryl nodded, hoping that he was doing the right things. He brought his thumb to his mouth once more and considered his next move. Why couldn't he naturally do this sort of thing? All he wanted to do was make her comfortable enough for him to walk her home, and he was struggling. Hard.

"Listen..." he began cautiously. "You can't walk home alone. There's all kinds of scum out at this time. Let me walk you home, Beth."

"If you walk me home and my brother or daddy sees you I don't know if they'll like it" she replied. She had never brought a boy onto their farm except Jimmy and that was almost four years ago. She most definitely hadn't entered the farm with a man. "Also…will Ashley be safe?"

Daryl looked at her again. Damn he couldn't stop doing that. She was innocent, he could tell that. He didn't know what to do so he just threw his next suggestion out there.

"Okay…well either I walk you home, or you walk with me to my place and I'll take the couch. Then in the morning we can go and get your friend." It wasn't his wisest suggestion considering he was trying not to frighten Beth, which is why he was shocked by her answer.

"The second option."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Thank you sooooooo much for all your follows/reviews! This is a slightly shorter filler chapter, but it's only because I've been hit with an idea and want to get it rolling. The next chapter will be a bit different but I'm really excited to get it written now I have it all planned out so you shouldn't be waiting too long. Let me know what you think so far anyway! Love you all!**

* * *

They paced down the deserted road towards what she hoped would be Daryl's apartment. Why had she decided to go home with him?Maybe it was the protective feel of his hands on her shoulders as he put his leather jacket on her. Maybe it was the pang of sympathy she felt when his eyes looked pained, frustrated as his brother stumbled away. Maybe it was the way he considered each word carefully, conscious of her discomfort. Maybe there was no reason at all, and maybe it was a mistake. Nevertheless the words came out of her mouth as her instincts beat her brain, and now she was strolling down the street with a man she had met just a few hours earlier.

He was quiet, which Beth was thankful for. As they walked, Beth observed him. He looked rough around the edges though something in the back of her mind reminded her to not judge a book by its cover. At first he ignited a fear inside of her, but now she felt that fear was extinguished. There was something about him, something about the way he walked and his obvious nervous habits. Beth liked to think she was a good judge of character, and all it really took was a look into somebody's eyes. The eyes, after all, were the window to the soul. She came to a standstill and turned so that she was stood in front of him, about two feet away, and looked into his eyes. They were a piercing steel blue, and it took only a matter of seconds to see the pain, kindness and insecurity that they possessed.

"What?" he asked her, uncomfortably. He wasn't a damn painting.

"Nothing." Beth replied with a smile, before moving back to continue their walk. All it took was that one look and she knew; he wasn't a bad guy. She knew that his eyes were on her as they walked, probably still confused as to why she had stared at him like that. Beth wrapped her arms around herself as the cold began to fight through the leather, and was thankful when Daryl nodded at a small block of apartments ahead of them.

They walked over silently, Beth behind Daryl, and began to make their way up the metal steps. With each step her heartbeat got faster, realising that she was about to enter a complete stranger's home. A complete stranger that was probably twice her age. Her head said run, her heart said stay. The nerves suddenly took their toll and Beth missed one of the steps, causing her to grab on to Daryl who instantly steadied her.

"I gotcha, should take off them damn shoes." He said, nodding down to her heels. Beth let go, reluctantly, and nudged him to carry on moving. For a split second she felt their eyes connect, a mutual trust and understanding travelling between them. Yes, she was young, sometimes naïve. And yes, going home with a stranger was the complete opposite of what her daddy would want her to do, but there was an internal gravitation towards this man that she could neither explain nor prevent.

Daryl unlocked and opened his door, kicking aside some things that were in their path.

"Bedrooms through there, I'll sleep here. Will wake you up early and we'll go to Merle's." He said, pulling a blanket from a nearby cupboard and arranging his cushions. Beth moved slowly, wanting to observe as much of the space around her as she could before going to his bedroom. It most definitely wasn't what she considered a home. The walls were bland, no photographs or memorabilia or anything of the sort. It wasn't dirty, but wasn't exactly clean either. There were a few books scattered, a few empty beer cans, but other than that there was just plain furniture. Unsure of what to say, Beth turned to Daryl and smiled softly before opening the bedroom door and stepping inside.

It was the same in there. A few books, a few shirts. His bed wasn't made but Beth didn't mind. She sat at the end and kicked off her shoes. She considered taking off her dress since the zip had been irritating the skin on her back slightly, but she quickly dismissed that idea deeming it plain stupid. Instead she crawled in and wrapped up. Suddenly she was hugged by an array of enchanting, forest-like scents that pushed her into a peaceful slumber.


End file.
